Best sewing machine?
 

Hey guys, I’ve got this one, i got it from Walmart for a little over 100 it’s hard to quilt bigger quilts with it, is there a better machine?[ATTACH=CONFIG]606985[/ATTACH]

I had an older version of your machine, and it was great to learn fmq! When I did larger quilts, I often just put a strip of batting down the center, quilt it, then add the batting along the sides. It reduced the amount of bulk that had to be squeezed into the harp when quilting the center.

Your little mechanical machine is a lot more reliable than the fancy computerized Viking that broke down on me after a couple of years. I now have a Singer Heavy Duty that I also bought at Walmart for $99. I love my little Singer. It does every thing I ask it to do... have used it daily for 4-5 years now... and neither I nor it are complaining. Sometimes more expensive doesn't mean better.

I bought a Juki 2200QVP Mini last March. It has a larger harp space and I really like it for FMQ

When I was ready to buy my first sewing machine for quilting (I had been using my daughters small Kenmore) I got a similar machine. The machine itself was fine, but what I found was that it was too lightweight. By that I mean the larger quilts I was working on would shift the machine around during FMQ. I brought it back and got a Janome New Home, which is a metal frame and therefore heavier and was able to stay put while I pushed my quilt through it. It was more expensive; about $500, but a good machine. Still have it as my "back up", but I now quilt on a Janome memory craft 8900 and LOVE the 11 inch harp. It makes a huge difference, but of course the price difference was pretty big too!

If you just want a harp for quilting I would go brother pq15500s or juki 200 type machine if you have money to inst a sit down hwq sweet 16 or babylock tiara

You can find a good used machine with a larger harp, too. On craigslist near me, right now there is a Janome 8900 for sale for $1759 and another one for $2,000.

I bought a Baileys Home Quilter with a 22” throat on EBay for $900. It’s a sit down machine (only because I don’t have room for it to be on a frame). It was barely used and runs like a dream. Keep looking, don’t get impatient. Do your research. This is my 2nd Bailey. My first one was a used 13”. I sold it on Craigslist for $650 after I used it for about 5 years. They are out there. :-)

I have the Brother 1500, straight stitch only and fairly large throat area. They cost about $600 -$700 new. Comes with ext table, walking foot, and 1/4 foot. Will last a lifetime, all mechanical. Nothing wrong with the cheaper machines at Walmart. Sew the devil out of one until it breaks. No need for repairs, just buy another one.